David Fizdale probably would rather have hung out with the rats than watch Knicks, who were embarrassed by Heat

MIAMI — On David Fizdale’s first day as a video intern with the Heat, he nearly quit because of a rat infestation in his basement office.

True story.

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“As soon as I put my stuff down at the desk and sit down a big sewer rat runs over my feet,” Fizdale recalled. “And so I run straight into the big video room. I’m an L.A. guy, we didn’t really deal with rats. I’m like, ‘Hey man, I didn’t sign up for this.”

Fizdale learned to co-exist with the rats in the basement of the old Miami Heat arena. He and colleague Erik Spoelstra, the video coordinator back then, set up makeshift traps and left food outside their office so that the rats wouldn’t come inside. Still, there was one rat, according to Fizdale, who held the crew hostage.

“Sitting in the middle of the hall, wouldn’t move, and we were too scared to go by it,” the Knicks coach said.

Twenty years later in Miami, Fizdale probably would’ve preferred the rodent kidnapping over the view from the Knicks sideline, where he watched his team get embarrassed by the Heat, 110-87, after allowing 45 points in the third quarter. It represented New York’s fourth straight defeat, and there’s not a high probability of them snapping the skid when the Warriors come to the Garden on Friday.

“It was just so many holes in that dam,” Fizdale said. “We let go of the rope tonight. This was the first time I feel like we let go. And it got to us mentally and it broke us in the third.”

David Fizdale, (Lynne Sladky / AP)

The coach added that he’s contemplating a lineup change after the starting group bombed Wednesday, especially point guard Trey Burke (3 points on 1-of-10 shooting). The other starters – who’ve been in the lineup for five straight games to begin the season – are Tim Hardaway Jr., Frank Ntilikina, Lance Thomas and Enes Kanter.

“Better combinations. Better starts. Better third quarters. Obviously I want to set a defensive tone. So I’m going to look to put together more defensive groups,” Fizdale said.

Until Wednesday’s dud, the Knicks managed to be competitive in their losses. But the fight was out of the Knicks in Miami. They hung around until the third quarter, which the Heat won by 25 points, and then it was extended garbage time.

Fizdale, who has been adamant about eliminating these type of noncompetitive losses from the Knicks culture, clarified that the Knicks didn’t quit. He said the effort was frustrating, not disappointing.

“It’s frustrating but I think it was the weight of having three tough losses and getting punched in the third quarter. I don’t think our guys mentally held it together,” But it’s not something I’m disappointed in. I’m never going to be at that point unless they get selfish and don’t play hard. We made mistakes and the trust broke down.

Miami (2-2) is not a championship contender but it does have better players than the Knicks, who had no answers for Hassan Whiteside. The powerful Heat center feasted in the paint, scoring 22 points with 14 boards. Miami also connected on 13 of its 29 3-point attempts, shredding the Knicks’ embarrassing perimeter defense. Guard Josh Richardson hit five treys.

It won’t get any easier against the two-time defending champs Friday.

“I hope everybody has their mind and body right. Because it’s going to be a long night if we don’t take care of it like we didn’t do (Wednesday),” Hardaway Jr. said. “Just got to go out there (Thursday) in practice, lock in tremendously. Or we’re going to get embarrassed.”